The massive rally in bitcoin prices has created a lot of buzz around cryptocurrencies lately, but Nigeria is one of the countries where bitcoin has been widely accepted for some time. The West African country has the highest bitcoin trading volume in Africa and recently ranked second globally[1] of any country after the United States. According to Bitcoin.com[2], Nigerians have traded more than 60,200 BTC (worth more than $566 million) since 2015 through Paxful’s P2P exchange.
Why Has Bitcoin Risen In Nigeria?
Numerous factors have contributed to the tremendous rise of Bitcoin adoption in Nigeria. One of the major reasons is stringent forex policies by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Also, a decline of the naira (the country’s fiat money) has made bitcoin appealing to Nigerians. For instance, on December 18, 2020, a communique from CBN[3] directed deposit money banks to close all naira accounts for international money transfers operators to “ensure that all diaspora remittances are received by beneficiaries in foreign currency only.”
Nigerians have resorted to seeking alternative currencies due to dollar scarcity caused by the stringent banking laws. In fact, bitcoin adoption has grown significantly in other countries that have experienced diminishing confidence in national fiat currency and rising inflation, such as Zimbabwe.
In Nigeria, the bitcoin trade has increased by 19 percent annually[4] from 2017 to 2020, with 2020 recording the highest volume (20,504.50 BTC). During the lockdown, the bitcoin trade increased by 30 percent, with the peak of the pandemic recording the highest volume. According to CoinDesk, new account registrations for Paxful increased by 137 percent[5] between January and September 2020. The increased popularity of BTC is also evidenced in the gambling industry, with many bitcoin
